Electric switch.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

' H. GILMORE.

' ELEGTRIG SWITCH.

APPLIOATION FILED APR 18 1902 no MODEL.

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NITED STATES Patented August4, 1903.

HOWARD GILMORE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,363, dated August4, 1903.

Application filed April 1 8 1 9 02.;

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HOWARD. GILMORE, of

Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Electric Switch, of which the following is r aspecification, reference being bad to the aclimited and it is essentialthat the switches shall be supplied at low cost and be durable and notlikely to get out of order.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a section on line 2 2 ofFig. 1, showing One form of my switch and so much of a lampsocket as isnecessary to show the application of my switch. Figs. 3 and 4c aresectional views like Fig. 2, except that the switch is off in Fig. 2,half-way on in Fig. 3, and on in Fig 4. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 8, 9, 10,and 11 are details showing the preferred construction-of the key-shaft,supporting-frame, and cam for actuating the moving member of my switch.Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate a modified form of my switch in which aleaf-spring is used in lieu of the spiral spring shown in Figs. 1 to G,andFigs. 14, 15, and 16 are details explanatory of the operation. Fig.

17 shows another modification.

The lampsocket with the preferred form ofmy switch shown in Fig. 1consists of the insulating-button A, usually of porcelain, to which issecured the frame Bfor the keyshaft 1) and also the arm (I, with thebinding screw d for the wire to one terminal of the lamp, the wire forthe other terminal being connected to the frame B by arm (I andbinding-screw d all as well known.

Myswitch consists of the stationary contact D and the movable contact D,which are held 1 apart when the lamp is not lighted, but which meet witha snap when the lamp is lighted and which separate with a snap when thelamp is put out, for contact D (shown as the usual threaded shell of thelamp-socket) is in elec- Serial No. 103.522. (No modelJ trical contactwith one terminal of the filament, and the supporting-frame B,key-s11aftb, cam F, and movable contact D are in electrical contact with the otherterminal of the filament, and a circuit through the filament istherefore established when contacts D and D are in contact andmaintained as long as they remain in contact, the important point beingto bring them into contact witha snap as well as to separate themwith asnap. To effect this I actuate contact D by means of cam F, shaped tofirst press contact D toward contact D, as shown in Fig. 3, and nextdrop one end of contact-piece D and thereby tip that piece to theposition shown in Fig. 4c,

thus bringing contacts D and D together with a snap and closing theswitch. The further motion'of cam F carries both parts of cam F clear ofcontact-piece D and allows contact D to be thrown back to its offposition, as shown in Fig. 2.

I prefer to use aspiral spring I) for moving contact D against the forceof cam F, but I .have also shown a leaf-spring b for doing this. (SeeFigs. 12 and 13.) This leaf-spring b maybe integral with contact D. Thisfeature of my invention is two contacts, the movable one of which ismoved bodily by a cam toward the stationary one and allowed by the camto be moved bodily away from the stationary one by the force of a springand is also .tipped by the force of that spring on the cam as a fulcrum,so that one end of the movable contact is thrown quickly into. and outof contact with the stationary contact, thereby insuring both asnap-make and a snapbreak.

Another feature of my invention relates to mounting the key-shaft Z) inits supportingframe B, and consists in forming ears b near the end ofkey-shaft b and making an aperf ture through the plate of frame B, asshown in Fig. 7 to receive theend of the key-shaft and the ears I) whenthe shape shown in Fig. 7 is changed to that shown in Fig. 8, therebysecuring the key-shaft b in the frame B and also centering the shaftwith abundant aecu-.

racy.

A third feature of my invention relates to connecting the cam F with thekey-shaft, and consists in making a second set of ears 6 on the shaft 1)and making an aperture through cam F, as shown in Fig. 9, so that whenthe shaft 1) and ears b are in place in that aperture the side walls ofthe aperture may be depressedinto the depressions which are made by thetools in forming the cars If, as shown in Fig. 11, and thus connect camF and shaft 1), so that the cam and shaft will always rcvolve togetherand be prevented from relative movement.

While I have shown the cam-surfaces as integral with a plate whichrevolves with the key-shaft, it is obvious that they may be integralwith the contact D. (See Fig. 17.)

What I claim as my invention is- The switch above described comprisingtwo contacts, one of which is movable; and a cam and spring to move themovable contact bodily toward and away from the stationary'contact, andalso to tilt the movable contact over the cam as a fulcrum and snap oneof its ends into and out of contact with the stationary contact,substantially as described.

2. In a switch two contacts, one of which is movable; a cam to move themovable contact bodily toward the stationary contact; and a spring tooppose the movement of the movable contact caused by the cam and also totilt the movable contact over the cam as a fulcrum and thereby throw oneend of the movable contact against the stationary contact with a snapwhen one portion of the movable contact rests on a projection on thecam,

and another portion is opposite a depression in the cam.

3. In a switch a supporting-frame B, one wall of which is slotted asshown with opposed curved recesses in the longer sides of the slot, incombination with key-shaft b and cars 11 extending therefrom, and acrossthe curved HOIVARD GILMORE.

Witnesses:

J. E. MAYNADIER, O. B. MAYNADIER.

